


Checkered Flag

by OneSweetMelody



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, NASCAR, NASCAR!au, Social Media, Timelines, i write yet another fic with social media aspects because what else is new, literally just excerpts though, not the whole fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 13:12:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17767436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneSweetMelody/pseuds/OneSweetMelody
Summary: “Twenty-five years ago, my father started Voltron Motorsports. It was a product his love and dedication to the sport. I spent my childhood on many of the same race tracks still standing today and around some of the finest drivers, engineers, teams, the sport has ever known. When Coran first spoke about reforming Voltron, we had the same vision-- of building a team and reintroducing racing to a new generation of fans and bringing new life back into the sport. I understand many people are concerned about what is in store for the team and I do not want to dismiss those fears but understand that Voltron Motorsports and the team behind it will continue to thrive and to reach new heights. It’s not about rivalries or our legacy. We have a new legacy to build and we hope for your continued support along the way.”- Allura Altea, CEO of  Altea Industries and owner of Voltron Motorsports________________The one where Voltron is a NASCAR team and Keith living in the shadow of Shiro's racing legacy.





	Checkered Flag

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the Timelines Zine, a AU zine, written last year. I'm glad to have been part of this zine. Thank to the mods for the opportunity to be part of this amazing project. Posting this fic on here is very belated, but I thought I'd get around to it.

_ “Twenty-five years ago, my father started Voltron Motorsports. It was a product his love and dedication to the sport. I spent my childhood on many of the same race tracks still standing today and around some of the finest drivers, engineers, teams, the sport has ever known. When Coran first spoke about reforming Voltron, we had the same vision -- of building a team and reintroducing racing to a new generation of fans and bringing new life back into the sport. I understand many people are concerned about what is in store for the team and I do not want to dismiss those fears but understand that Voltron Motorsports and the team behind it will continue to thrive and to reach new heights. It’s not about rivalries or our legacy. We have a new legacy to build and we hope for your continued support along the way.” _

\- Allura Altea, CEO of  Altea Industries and owner of Voltron Motorsports

* * *

“Shiro’s missing?”

“He’s not missing,” Lance muttered into his tepid coffee. It was his fourth cup of hotel room coffee and likely ill-advised after 10 pm but he always found it difficult to sleep before major races. “He said he needed a breather.”

“Has anyone heard from Keith then?” 

Lance watched as Hunk continued to pace the length of the hotel room. Usually, Lance didn’t mind sharing a hotel room with Hunk but he could only watch his best friend pace the same path across the worn paisley carpet before Hunk’s nerves started getting to him.

“I don’t know,” Lance replied as Hunk turned and began another round of his circuit, “hopefully sleeping.”

“Hopefully?”

“Pidge is asleep though,” Lance tossed his phone on the other bed and watched as the screen dimmed on his text exchange with Allura assuring her that everything was running smoothly for tomorrow.

If only Matt would call him back.

“We look at the charts again,” Lance suggested knowing the monotony of task would probably help Hunk calm down. It would at least give them something both to do.

Hunk nodded slightly, the small assignment pulling him from his endless pacing. He grabbed his laptop and sat down on Lance’s hotel bed, quickly pulling up the engine readouts from the qualifying race and previous week’s test runs. Hunk went through a detailed explanation of the graphs, most of which Lance understood though not with the same depth as the team’s head engineer.

“Pidge and I fixed the emissions issue from the test run,” Hunk pointed at two different trendlines on screen. “We still need to look out for any problems tomorrow but we should be clear. But if something goes wrong-”

“Nothing is going to go wrong,” Lance interjected. “I know you’re worried after Sendak crashed earlier but that doesn’t mean-”

“I know,” Hunk snapped. His shoulders slumped and he let out another tired sigh. “I know that Sendak is pretty much evil and the crash had nothing to do with Keith. Keith wasn’t even anywhere near him but it was still scary. You weren’t in the pit today. Shiro looked like he was going to pass out for a few seconds. If anything ever went wrong, you know he’d blame himself. Even with me and Pidge out there.”

Lance’s gaze drifted to his phone, still sitting on the other bed where a terse reply from his crew chief was the only communication in the hours since the qualifying race ended. Crashes happened all the time - low tread on tires, misfiring engines, bad judgment calls from the pit or driver, any multitude of issues. Fatalities or serious injuries from crashes weren’t exactly rare but they happened as well. 

“Shiro will be fine. He made it through the rest of the race. He probably just needs his space and doesn’t want to worry anyone right now.” Lance clapped a hand on Hunk’s shoulder. “Look, he trusts you and Pidge. You two are awesome at what you do. Red is looking really good this season and Keith is an amazing driver. This could be our year.”

“This isn’t an ESPN soundbite,” Hunk rolled his eyes but let Lance wrap a comforting arm around both of his shoulders. “I know I’m good at my job.”

“Awesome at your job,” Lance corrected.

“Awesome at my job,” Hunk repeated, “but accidents can happen no matter how good you are.”

Lance was saved from responding by a familiar ringtone. He fumbled past Hunk to reach his phone on the opposite bed and immediately placed the call on speaker.

“Hey Matty,” he said affecting some false cheer in his voice. 

“I’m hanging up on you,” Matt replied but his voice held no bite. Lance tried to let some of the tension drain from his shoulders but the excess caffeine rattled his bones. “Am I on speaker?”

“Please, you adore me,” Lance replied automatically, ignoring the question entirely. “Seriously man, what’s up? Is there anything you can tell me?” Lance could hear Matt shift around on the other end of the line before continuing in a hushed tone. 

“Well, it turns out that they tampered with the restrictor plates. I don’t even know how since they were supposed to be our plates and our officials watched them put them on.” Lance looked up to see Hunk’s eyes widen in shock. “I don’t know how Honerva did it or how the car even passed pre-race inspection since there were some other modifications that barely skirted the guidelines.”

“Do you think Galra was paying one of you guys to cover things up?” 

“I don’t know,” Matt heaves a sigh while Lance tapers down his indignation. 

“We all know Galra has been playing dirty for years. Zarkon-”

“Look, Lance,” Matt cut him off, “the higher-ups aren’t telling us anything. I don’t know what’s going on. If Honerva or Zarkon or someone else on their team is paying off NASCAR officials then the board really doesn’t want it to get out. A statement is going to go live on ESPN and our website soon but it’s still under investigation.”

“Thanks for the heads up man,” Lance rubbed at his eyes. He needed to talk to Allura and Shiro about this as soon as possible and fill them in but it was already well past the time either of them should be awake the night before a race.

“Yeah, no problem,” Matt replied, “I’m gonna check on Pidge. Talk later.”

The line went dead.

* * *

**ESPN✓** @espn 1d  
Reps from @NASCAR say @GalraRacing car under investigation after crash during #DAYTONA500 qualifier #CanAmDuel

* * *

There was no such thing as a gentle hum on the raceway.

Everything was loud and demanded his attention. When he was younger, back when he was sure he’d follow in Takashi Shirogane’s footsteps and become the youngest driver for Galaxy Garrison Autoracing, Keith was always overwhelmed by the sensations. The noise of his car as the engine started competing with the roar of the crowds and the shouts of the team members, the stench of gasoline and oil and heavy fumes, the touch of the smooth helmet and the rough gloves and the tight protective gear - it always seemed like too much. But once he was in his car, engine rumbling and vision narrowed to only a few fixed points, he could focus. All the other sounds and sense became less overwhelming. 

He could win. 

“Voltron must feel extremely lucky to have a found natural talent,” a reporter said with false cheer. The reporter laughed pushing their microphone further in Keith’s face. A few other reporters joined in, forming a wall blocking Keith’s path to the garage. Keith fiddled with the collar of his jumpsuit, trying to plan a quick escape route.

The garage was within eyesight but Keith still had a herd of reporters to maneuver around. Keith fell back on one of his well-practiced responses. “We’re really lucky to--”

“Are you concerned about your car’s safety?”

“Are you rattled by the crash Thursday?”

“Are you prepared for today’s race?”

Keith tried to smooth the annoyed frown from his face and adjusted his collar. He’d practiced this countless times with Lance, he just needed to stay calm and focused.

“Keith is talented,” Shiro said suddenly appearing at Keith’s side, “but it’s not just talent. He’s one of the hardest working drivers I’ve met. He puts in more time on the track and with Red than most other drivers. We’re looking forward to a strong season.”

“Any concerns about number 84 after yesterday's crash?” The reporter turned to Shiro, likely poised with a question about Shiro’s own crash a few season ago. Shiro handled Sendak’s crash well during the race and tear down but he’d gone quiet later in the night, disappearing into his room after sending a very short text message. Keith knew from experience that Shiro had needed some time to process and left him alone for the night.

“No,” Keith answered the reporter, “Red is looking good today. We’re not worried about it. We’re looking for a clean race.”

Shiro nodded, “we hope that Sendak has a good recovery and that Galra is also able to keep moving forward after the accident.”

“Did the accident earlier bring back any memories--”

“Sorry, we have to prepare for the race,” Shiro cut in curtly. “Thank you. Keith and Voltron are fully ready for today’s race. It’s going to be a good one.”

Keith muttered a quick thank you as Shiro helped maneuver both of them passed the gaggle of reporters. Keith half expected them to continue harassing him with questions, but they quickly got distracted as Acxa, the driver from Prince Autosports, passed by them. She gave Keith and Shiro a quick nod and coolly turned to the reporters. 

When they reached the team’s stall, most of the mechanics were gone but Pidge stayed behind with a few others and the supervising NASCAR official. With only a few short hours until the main race, Red was in shining form - sleek 

“Vultures?” Pidge asked from behind a tablet. 

“Vultures,” Keith confirmed. Pidge crinkled their nose in disgust. Neither were fans of dealing with the press. Keith could handle scheduled press duty but being ambushed always left him feeling off-kilter and Pidge quickly grew tired of the scrutiny when reporters found out that their brother worked for NASCAR. Pidge tapped at the screen a few more times before handing the tablet over to Shiro to inspect.

They both hung back as Shiro talked to the official about their inspection slot. He seemed as steady and composed as he usually appeared, the brief moment of surprise and panic yesterday replaced with a calm sense of purpose.

After Shiro’s accident, the one where his arm got trapped under the car and that pushed him to give up racing professionally, Galaxy Garrison offered Keith a chance to race with them on a higher circuit under Shiro’s old number. Keith had been racing long enough to know that it was a rare opportunity. Galaxy Garrison had good sponsors, he would be working with a well-proven team and a high circuit meant more payouts for winning races.

Keith turned down the offer.

“I’m not going to be Shiro 2.0,” Keith had told Allura when she’d approached him about driving for Voltron under his own number. “Shiro is Shiro. He’s a legend. I can’t do that.”

“I’m not asking for you to be Shiro,” she’d said plainly. “Shiro was an excellent driver, but you have a lot of talent and good instincts. You work hard. And with a good crew chief and team, we can hone those skills. Voltron needs someone like you.”

Keith hadn’t known what to say to that then, and the moment quickly ended when her assistant - team manager, Lance quickly corrected - knocked to let her know that her other appointment had arrived early.

It took him nearly a week to call her office back for a meeting.

“Keith?” Shiro’s voice brought Keith back to the present. “Are you ready?”

Keith blinked a few times and caught Hunk’s slightly concerned gaze. In the few moments he’d been lost in thought, the small stall had filled with more people, most of the crew including the head engineer were surrounding the car. It was almost time for inspection and then the test lap. Keith straightened up immediately. 

“Ready,” Keith confirmed. Shiro gave a small smile and a nod before turning back to the official. Pidge offered up a closed fist. Keith allowed himself a quick smile and tapped their fists together.

It was almost race time.

* * *

_ “Thursday’s crash was devastating. We send our support to Sendak and everyone at Galra Racing. We wish him a successful recovery. But today, Voltron is entirely focused on the race later. Keith is 100% prepared. He looks great out there and Red is running smoother than ever. We expect to place well in the top ten today.” _

__ \- Takashi Shirogane, Voltron Motorsports (84) Crew Chief _ _

 

**Voltron Motorsports ✓** @teamvoltron 34m   
Red is revved and ready to go #DAYTONA500 https://t.co/y97e8gzf

* * *

 

**“Number 84 lost the early lead he had after the last pit stop. A risky decision on the part of crew chief, Shirogane. What do you think?”**

“He was pretty confident earlier when asked about it. No doubt Kogane is a talented driver and this right here is going to be a test of that. He looked good out there in the qualifier earlier this week but he lost the pole position to number 16 out there. Rose is a real contender to look out for in the third position. Kogane is sitting in fifth right now and I’m not sure if he can climb his way up to the top spot.”

**“Coming up on the last turn here, will we have the white flag?”**

“And...white flag. We’re on the last lap of this race. Will Montgomery hold on to the lead position or will someone else snatch it away? I honestly don’t know, Steven, it’s still anyone’s race.”

**“And here we have Darby in the number 95 car making a move at the top of the track. They’re three wide there, will he make.”**

“Oh, no. Watch the green Ford there, number 9, with a block. Darby is not getting past him.”

**“No but he created an opening for 84. Kogane just slipping past him. That was beautiful.”**

“What is going on out there. Montgomery is dropping back.”

**“Fuel? That was a concern earlier. But in the last lap, it’s not the time to be conservative about fuel, this is the time you gun it and hope for the best.”**

“Can we get a confirmation on that? You know this is really disappointing coming up on the second turn of the last lap. It must be devastating. I really thought Montgomery was going to win this. You can see number 80 dropping back to 12th. Listening in on the pit, she switched to reserve fuel but not fast enough, lost too much momentum.”

**“I think we’re just lucky that didn’t cause a crash. Going back to the leaders, it’s anyone’s race.”**

“We have Dos Santos in first now but Kogane and Rose are behind him. Will it be one of them or will someone break free of the pack and surprise us all.”

**“I said coming into this race and this season that I’m most excited about seeing Keith Kogane of Voltron Motorsports and Axca Rose of Prince Autoracing faceoff. They have similar racing styles and if you’re a long time racing fan you know the history behind Voltron Motorsports. When it first came into the scene over thirty years ago it turned out some of the biggest names in stock car racing but the huge rift between the owners caused its dissolution. Today must be a huge shock to Zarkon especially after he refused to let his own son race for Galra Racing. Now Lotor started Prince Autoracing and Allura Altea brought back Voltron and both teams have drivers out there who are serious contenders for not only this race but the Sprint Cup Series. This could be historic ”**

“It’s just amazing, an incredible story. No one expected to see something like this three seasons ago, but here we are. Just goes to show that anything can happen. We’re on the last two turns. I don’t know how this will go.”

**“Oh man, and an incredible pass from number 84! Will he be able to maintain it for this final turn and the home stretch! Could this be the first win here at Daytona for number 84?”**

* * *

“Everyone gather together now,” Coran directed the large group, “get in closer. Like sardines.”

“I thought selfie sticks were banned? How did he get one in?”  Lance asked from Keith’s side. Keith shrugged but he couldn’t shake small satisfied smile. Lance jostled his shoulder and offered back his own grin.

“No idea,” Allura responded, “I’m somewhat concerned about security here now.”

“Wait, Coran how did you get a selfie stick in here?” Hunk asked.

“Guys, it’s one picture just say cheese,” Pidge stretched a large smile across their face. 

“Provolone,” Shiro added.

“Mozzarella!”

“Cheddar!”

“Okay everyone, on three. Go Voltron!”

“Do the V for Voltron.”

“I thought it was V for victory?”

“Same thing! Do the v.”

Coran snapped the picture. 

* * *

**Voltron Motorsports ✓** @teamvoltron 5s  
VICTORY AT THE DAYTONA SPEEDWAY! #TeamVoltron #DAYTONA500 https://t.co/c68p1lzg


End file.
